Expand and enable “missing middle” transit supportive housing options in the Sugarbush South neighbourhood, near the City’s post secondary institutions and public transit.

As part of the City of Waterloo’s Housing Accelerator Fund grant, the City is implementing nine housing initiatives focused on increasing the housing supply and/or streamlining development approvals processes. Initiative 3 relates to enabling more “missing middle” transit supportive housing options to be built in the Sugarbush South neighbourhood shown in the map below. “Missing middle” housing tends to refer to a variety of low and medium density, multiple-unit housing forms, such as triplexes, fourplexes, townhouses, additional residential units and low and mid-rise apartment buildings.

Like many communities across Ontario, Waterloo is facing significant housing challenges which is contributing to increased housing prices and rents. The City’s Affordability Housing Strategy (IPPW2023-002) identified housing gaps such as the need for rental and ownership units within medium density “missing middle” along transit routes and near amenities.

Sugarbush South was initially developed as a suburban community from the 1950s to the 1960s. With the development and continued growth of the post-secondary institutions, there has been significant pressure on the City’s near-campus neighbourhoods to accommodate students, staff and faculty. This has resulted in intensification near the campus and its corridors, such as the north side of Cardill Crescent and east of Holly Street, as well as the conversion of single detached dwellings into multi-unit dwellings.

Recommendation summary:

1.Official Plan Amendment 70 amends the City’s Official Plan by re-designating the Sugarbush South neighbourhood to Medium Rise Residential, creates a new Area Specific Policy 89 (ASP 89) and ASP 89A. ASP 89A includes policies to permit up to eight storeys for the existing medium rise apartments on Austin Drive and High Street subject to the City enacting a rental replacement by-law.

2. Zoning By-law Amendment Z-25-19 amends Zoning By-law 2018-050 by adding:

i. Two new zone categories - Residential Sugarbush Six (RS-6) zone and Residential Sugarbush Eight (RS-8) zone – which will apply to lands zoned for heights of six and eight storeys, respectively, and permit maximum densities of up to 450 bedrooms per hectare.

ii. Holding provisions (H) for the RS-6 and RS-8 zones are applied to all properties to restrict the use/development of lands until certain conditions of development are satisfied.

The Sugarbush South Urban Design Guidelines provide a set of objectives tailored to the neighbourhood. These objectives recognize the unique characteristics of the area, including the existing tree canopy and existing overhead hydro infrastructure in some areas of the neighbourhood.

Key actions:

• HAF Grant Net new units: 50
• HAF Grant Implementation timeline: December 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026

Return to City of Waterloo Housing Accelerator Fund page.